Biomedical Micro-/Nanomotors: Design, Imaging, and Disease Treatment

Untethered mobile micro-/nanomotors (MNMs), as newly-emerging attractive and versatile nanotechnologies, are expected to be the next-generation disease treatment tools, for breaking through the limitations of conventional passive drug delivery manner. However, the advances in these fascinating platforms have been hampered by the complexity of the biological environment and the particularity of disease microenvironment. Consequently, specific design strategies and clinical imaging techniques are essential to ensure the high-efficiency of biomedical MNMs on actuation, targeting, localization, and therapy when performing assigned in vivo tasks. This review thus comprehensively addresses three aspects of biomedical MNMs, including design, imaging, and disease treatment, highlighting the intelligent MNMs with biomimetic functionality and chemotactic capability, emphasizing the applicability of different imaging techniques, and focusing on various proof-of-concept studies based on physiological characteristics for the treatment of major diseases. In addition, the key challenges and limitations of current biomedical MNMs are addressed, which may inspire future research and facilitate translation toward clinical treatment.

Automated summary

Untethered mobile micro-/nanomotors (MNMs) are seen as the next-generation disease treatment tools. However, the complexity of the biological environment and the particularity of disease microenvironment hinder their advances. This review comprehensively addresses the design, imaging, and disease treatment of biomedical MNMs, highlighting intelligent MNMs with biomimetic functionality and chemotactic capability, emphasizing the applicability of different imaging techniques, and focusing on various proof-of-concept studies for the treatment of major diseases. The challenges and limitations of current biomedical MNMs are discussed, inspiring future research towards clinical translation.